Praise!

PSALM 63:4-8

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night.

Because you are my help,

I sing in the shadow of your wings.

My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

May HIS WORD fill your hearts today!

May you experience HIS PRESENCE as never before!

May HE touch your life and speak into your heart!

Blessings, dear ones!

Ruthie

PEACE --- SHALOM

Peace.
They say God gives peace.
Uhmmmmm.
Wish I could have peace.
My mind is so full of "stuff".
My life is crazy.
How will I ever see my way clear of this situation.
I just have too much to do.
I don't have enough money this month to pay the bills.
The kids are acting out and I don't know how to keep them under control.
He hit me again. I need help!
My babe is sick again.
Oh no! Here he comes and he's been drinking again.
"She" called again... what am I going to do?
They found drugs in Johnny's locker at school.
A grandmother? At my age? This can't be happening to me - to us.

and on and on it goes......
Do these comments conjure up any familair scenarios for you? Maybe they remind you of your present situation. Maybe they remind you of a time past when your felt that peace could never be yours.
I want you to know, dear ones, that God's peace CAN rule in your heart. If your life is full of anxiety and distress - no matter the cause - you CAN have PEACE... the peace of God that surpasses all understanding! And you CAN have it "in the midst"....

Isaiah 9:6 tells us that Jesus is the "Prince of Peace".

John 14:27 - "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Romans 5:1 - Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Psalm 139:9-10
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are with us always! Praise the Lord!

These verses just thrill my soul.

I - you - we - can KNOW that He is always with us - guiding and holding us! He is our Safety, our Rock, our Refuge, our Salvation!

Hallelujah!

How do we "get" His peace?

1 Peter 3:11 tells us we must seek it and pursue it. That tells me that I must take some action here.

Isaiah 26:3 tells me that He will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is focused on Him and who trusts Him. Again - action is required.

Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

and finally -

Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Dear one - God has a peace for you that is indescribable - that is hard to understand until you experience it. However, you must seek after Him; trust Him; give every thing to Him. Tell the enemy to get away; fill your mind with Scripture and with all those things that are true and noble and pure and lovely (Philippians 4:8).

Has God been speaking to your heart today? If He has, I trust you will take some quiet time to spend with Him and allow Him to fill you with His Peace.

May His peace be yours today!
SHALOM
Ruthie

He has blessed me so!

More gifts to me from my Heavenly Father!

181. His Peace when hubby is stressed.

182. Warmth in our home.

183. Good sales from the "shop".

184. A full tank of gas from hubby!

185. Tears of joy!

186. A God who hears!

187. My lovin' pooch!

188. Tulips from a friend - bringing a "spring-ness" to the home! I "love" spring flowers! Thank you, Judy! :)

189. A beautiful, vibrant winter sunset!

Thank You, Lord for blessing my life as you do! I am grateful for Your gifts to me. May I always see your hand at work in my life! Praise Your Name!

Blessings on you today , sweet ones!
Ruthie

Trust in the Lord...

How magnificent is the sky - I took this picture a couple weeks ago after the snow; the sun had come out! I just marvel at the sky and it's glory. I often think of the time when Christ will return - in the clouds. Maybe I'll be around - maybe I won't - but I know that it will be a sight to behold!

Psalm 62: 8

Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Dear loved ones - trust Him - He has a plan and knows what is best for you. He will be your strength and refuge... if you will let Him.

Father God,

I pray today for all those reading this... may we place our trust in You and not in any person or thing that we may have in our lives. Lord, we pour out our hearts to You in the quiet times; You know us inside and out; You alone are our rock, our salvation, our fortress and our refuge! We praise you, Father, and we thank You for being all that for us ... a needy people. Bless this day - may we be a blessing to those around us today.

In You Name,

Amen.

I hope you will spend some time today in Pslam 62... plant your feet there for a while - open your hearts to Him and let Him reveal to you that He alone is your "safe place".

Resting in HIM,

Ruthie

One Thousand Gifts...

Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord!

In that day they will say,

"Surely this our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us.

This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

Isaiah 25:9

More blessings:

172. Books

173. Warmth from the sun! :)

174. Kind words

175. Encouraging words

176. A mind that is fairly alert most of the time. :)

177. Hearing God speak in the stillness.

178. Inspiration - for a card or a doodle! :)

179. 3+ degrees C. after days of wind and cold!

180. God revealing Himself and His Glory in the midst of trials!

Have a wonderful God-aware day, my friends!

Blessings on yah!

Ruthie

Increase my FAITH

Faith - complete confidence and trust
Trust - unquestioning belief in the integrity, strength, or ability of person or thing

Everyday we walk in faith. We all have faith and/or trust in something - or someone!
For example: spouse; children; friends; doctor; vehicle; banks; science; ourselves; God.
On and on the list goes.

Who or what do you put your faith in?
Do your trust God to have everything under control?
Is your faith in Him unshakable? or is it shaky?
Do you doubt His ability to look after you - to meet your daily needs?
Do you doubt that He has a desire for you?

Maybe your faith is strong and secure - in HIM! I pray that this is so!
However, maybe there is someone in your life who does not have complete faith and trust in God; who doesn't see the necessity to "let go and let God". That 'someone' could be your spouse, or a child, or a friend.

Did you know that the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith?
Luke 17:5
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"

Jesus had been asked to heal a boy with an evil spirit; here is part of the conversation between Jesus and the boy's father:
Mark 9:22 - 24
"It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."
" 'If you can'? " said jesus. "everything is possible for him who believes."
Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

Have you ever cried out to God to help your unbelief? to increase your faith? We can, you know! When we pray and ask Him to increase our faith He will do this for us! He desires for our faith to be steadfast and strong - all He asks from us is a willing heart!

And we can ask this for those we love! If your spouse, or child or friend is lacking in faith spend some time with the Father, asking Him to increase their faith.

Pray this prayer over your loved ones today:

Dear Father God,
I pray this on behalf of _____, Lord. I pray for them to seek You today! Send Your Holy Spirit to place a gnawing in their heart that will bring them to You - a desire to talk and walk with You. Give ______ a belief in You that surpasses anything they've experienced thus far! Father, lead ______ by Your Spirit; fill their mind with thoughts of You; with Scripture they may not even know they have remembered! You are so awesome God! I thank You, that You love _____ even more than I do! May they know Your love and live in it today! Lord, increase their faith today. Protect ______ today, Father; Save _______ from the evil one. I Praise you Lord and I give You thanks!
In Jesus Precious Name I pray,
Amen.

I pray for His blessings on you today!
Resting in HIM,
Ruthie

What I'm Thankful For Today!

More "One Thousand Gifts" ...

161. Loving words from friends

162. Playing UNO with my grand-daughter

163. Experiencing the joy of sharing as 7 year old Madi uses her Subway Card

(a gift for Christmas) to take mom & me to lunch.

164. More sunshine.

165. Fresh coffee in the morning.

166. These words from an awesome woman of faith -

"There's a way to do work that lasts forever. Just do everthing with love."

167. The beauty of a pregnant woman - her "belly" swelling with new growth; her face alright with joy at what the future holds.

168. Candlelight and candle aromas filling the house.

169. Big "blueberry" eyes smiling at me!

170. Hugs from hubby.

171. Sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles on them - lovingly shared with friends.

What's on your list today? May your day be filled with thankful moments!

Blessings - Ruthie

LOOOOOOOOVE!

What is Love?

A feeling?

An action?

Or both?

Do you remember the "feeling" when you first met your sweetheart?

On your wedding day?

How about that first "love" in grade school?

How about your first pet? and then the loss of him or her?

How about when you first met that new baby face to face?

Have those "feelings" changed over the days, months, years?

Feelings can be fleeting things - they change with the wind sometimes!

LOVE is meant to be a CONSTANT!

Whoa!

What am I saying?

In this world we live in, marriages come and go .... children, siblings, and friends are written off!

How can LOVE be a CONSTANT?

God's love is constant! Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord that He never writes us off!

He loves us so much He sent His Son to the Cross for us! While we were still sinners He loved us sacrificially! How that humbles me! I hope it does you too.

John 3:16

Romans 5:8

Throughout Scriptrues we are given examples of how to "LIVE" LOVE... yes! LIVE love - that means "put it into action"!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 tells us how to do that.

In recent weeks this portion of Scripture has been on my mind and I feel the Holy Spirit prompting me to memorize this! Today is the day to start that!

God's love for us is amazing! It is boundless, compassionate, eternal, and holy. His love is life-changing! May you bask in the love that He lavishes on you and, in turn, pour that love out on those around you this coming week!

Blessings sweet ones!

Ruthie

The Elephant In The Room

I read this poem today on a paper crafting blog. today was the anniversary of the death of the bloggers dear brother ... she wanted to remember him, to talk about him, to keep his memory alive. This poem is written from the perspective of the dear loved one who has been left behind!
Love you, Sweet Sister!

I feel it is very fitting to share this today.
It will be a week tomorrow since a dear friend left this world to be with his Heavenly Father! Many memories have flitted thru my mind in this past week and he has been present in our conversations... may it always be so!

The Elephant In The Room

There's an elephant in the room.

It is large and squatting, so it is hard to get around it.

Yet, we squeeze by with, "How are you?" and "I'm fine"...

and a thousand other forms of trivial chatter.

We talk about the weather.

We talk about work.

We talk about everything - except the elephant in the room.

We all know it is there.

We are thinking about the elephant as we talk.

It is constantly in our minds,

for you see, it is a very big elephant.

But we do not talk about the elephant in the room.

Oh, please say his name.

Oh, please, say "Gary" or "Bumpa" again.

Oh, please, let's talk about the elephant in the room.

For if we talk about his death,

perhaps we can talk about his life.

Can I say "Gary" and not have you look away?

For if I cannot, you are leaving me

Alone ... In a room ... With an elephant.

*Terry Kettering*

May the God of all Grace fill your hearts with Peace today!

Ruthie

More Gifts From Him!

How amazing it is to look back on these gifts He has given to me! I am so glad I began keeping a record of them! You will be truly blessed by doing the same!

155. Playing "NERTZ" with silly girlfriends!

156. January 27 - Patio doors open - sun and fresh air pouring into the house! How I wait in anxious anticipation for Spring!

157. Young moms with oodles of children - seeking God in their hearts and homes - blesses my soul!

158. Faithful prayer warriors!

159. A loving hubby!

160. Sunshine - thru the dirty windows! :)

The Lord bless you and keep you this day!

Ruthie

Stand Up & Walk!

In Memory of Gary Russell -

The title of todays writing is what God has placed on my heart these past 2 days ... so I'm running with it!

My very dear friend lost her husband this past week to cancer... that is why I have been MIA lately. In the midst of his battle with cancer we experienced an amazing miracle within our church family ... [read "Miracles" posted on January 19, 2010 - where this man literally stood up and walked after 4 years as a quadraplegic].
Of course, the question always comes - "Why him and not me? Why them and not us?"
Only God knows the answer to that!
I'm believeing that after fighting the battle with cancer to the best of his ability -
with courage & strength he could only have received from the Lord - it was time for Gary to "stand up and walk" again!

Hallelujah!
He is walking on streets of gold, seeing Jesus face to face!
It is so hard to let him go - his family needs the comfort, peace, & strength that only God can give them at this time! Love you dear ones!
Sometimes our miracles are here on earth - and sometimes they occur in the heavenly realms!
I am so thankful that we can know that Gary is with our Heavenly Father now; that he is pain free and walking again; breathing deep lung-fulls of fresh, clean air!

Please allow me some liberty here - I wonder if there are beaches in heaven? If so, that is where he will be found! Walking on the rocks, looking for treasures!

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see him with my own eyes - I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
Job 19:25-27

Blessings on you today as you reflect on life and death - as you ponder the peace that is without explanation - as you pray for loved ones - as you give of yourself to those in your world.

RESTING IN HIM ....... Ruthie